The Atlanta Hawks shocked the NBA in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, making an unlikely run to the conference finals where they lost to eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. Along the way, Atlanta beat two very good teams in the New York Knicks and the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite their success, sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic knows that it frankly means nothing coming into this season. In his mind, the Hawks are still going to be considered an underdog. Via The Athletic's Chris Kirschner:
“Oh yeah. People still don’t believe in us, and that’s normal. To prove someone wrong, you have to do it multiple times. You can’t just do it once because once means nothing today. Whatever you do, you have to keep being on top. It can’t just be one season of success. You have to continuously be successful over many years. That’s what builds respect in the league because we’re not going to gain respect from other people in the league over one season.”
Bogdanovic definitely has a point. The Hawks will need to replicate that success year after year but with a solid core intact led by franchise star Trae Young, it's certainly possible.
Everything changed in 2020/21 when Atlanta decided to fire Lloyd Pierce and hire Nate McMillan. After he took over, the Hawks were a completely different team who were firing on all cylinders.
The offseason was relatively productive for the team, handing Young a $203 million extension and also awarding Clint Capela with a new deal. All the cards are in place for Atlanta to have another banner season in 2021-22.
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